Habitat
Red-flanked duikers typically inhabit
the margins of forests, but can also be found in areas with adequately
dense cover, such as drainages with elephant grass or thick shrubbery. |
Physical
Characteristics
Red-flanked duikers are among the smallest
antelope species. Both sexes are the same size, 13.7-14.8 inches
(34-37 cm) tall and 26.5-30.9 pounds (12-14 kg). Their bodies are
approximately twice as long as their height.
Both sexes have backward-directed horns
that are 2-3.5 inches (5-9 cm) long. They have blue-gray legs,
a gray back, and orange-red sides and neck. Their faces have
tiny white markings on the lower jaw, upper lip and ears, a black
streak up the middle of the face and a tuft of black hair between
their horns. They also have long, coarse neck hair they may ruffle
as part of courtship or threat displays. |
Life
Span
They can live 10-15 years in captivity.
Life span in the wild is unknown. |
Diet
In the wild: Red-flanked duikers eat fallen
fruits, seeds, flowers, leaves and branches, fungi and seedlings
or shoots, along with the occasional small bird or other animal.
They sometimes scramble up vine-covered shrubs to reach particularly
tasty treats.
At the zoo: Alfalfa,
commercially prepared herbivore pellets, assorted fruits and
vegetables as treats. |
Reproduction
Red-flanked duikers reach sexual maturity at about 9 months old, at
which time they begin the process of finding and bonding with a
mate. Courtship includes a number of displays performed by the
male, including lip-curling and diagonal sideways strutting. The
pair also engages in long circular chases, mutual face rubbing,
and grooming of each other's heads and shoulders. Although
both participate, the male is almost always the initiator of mutual
grooming.
The female
red-flanked duiker's period
of estrus is only one half to one day long. Once pregnant, the female
carries her single calf for 32-35 weeks. The gestation period, combined
with the time required to develop a relationship with a mate, results
in most females having their first young at 2 years old. At birth,
calves typically weigh between 1.5-2.5 pounds (0.68-1.13 kg). When
not nursing, red-flanked duiker young engage in "lying out" behavior,
where they lie silently hidden in the grass or brush away from their
mother.
Life Cycle
Red-flanked duikers are territorial, and normally live in
pairs, pairs with one dependent youngster, or alone. The only times
they form groups larger than three are at water sources, salt licks,
or fruit falls that occur at territorial boundaries. Males are particularly
territorial, and are combative with one another if they come into contact.
Red-flanked duikers do a great deal of scent marking, using a substance
secreted from the maxillary glands near their eyes. A duiker will rub
its face on grass, twigs, bark or other surfaces to mark its territorial
boundaries, or even on its mate or calf to ‘"label" the
other animal. This species has deeper maxillary glands than any other
duiker species, suggesting that marking behavior may be stronger in
this shy and elusive species.
Darwin's
Delight
The red-flanked duiker enjoys an exceptionally useful
body shape for its habitat and way of life. The duiker's body is wedge-shaped,
with a narrow head and neck gradually widening to the hips. This helps the
animal to plunge quickly through dense cover, splitting the brush like an axe
might split a log. This body shape is so useful, in fact, that they have it
in common not only with other, closely related duiker species, but also with
numerous unrelated animals all over the world! This is a phenomenon called
convergent evolution. Species as varied as tapirs in Indonesia and large rodents
called capybaras in South America have evolved nearly identical wedge-shaped
bodies because it makes survival more likely in dense, brushy habitats.
|
Fascinating
Facts
- The
red-flanked duiker's voice
is a shrill bark!
- The
name "duiker" means "diving
buck," and refers to their quick leaps into dense cover
when surprised!
|
Red-flanked
duikers can be viewed in the Tropical Rain Forest near "lemur island."
Other species that can be viewed in the Tropical Rain Forest include
western lowland gorillas and red ruffed lemurs.
Red-flanked duikers, along with most other
duiker species, are quite numerous, but rarely seen due to their
shy habits. However, nine duiker species are considered vulnerable,
threatened or endangered. While red-flanked duikers are not considered
threatened or endangered, they depend on healthy, non-fragmented
habitat for survival. Their tropical rain forest home is under constant
threat by human encroachment, putting them at risk of future endangered
status. Agriculture and logging place significant pressure on all
species that depend on the tropical rain forest, but red-flanked
duikers face additional risks. The species is one of the primary
targets of the bushmeat trade and is popular among trophy hunters.
Both of these activities have had a significant negative impact on
other species in the past.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save African mammals requires cooperation and support
at the regional, national and international levels. You can help
in this cause. Join and become active in a conservation organization
of your choice. Don't buy products made from wild animal
parts. Tell your elected representatives on the national, state
and local levels about the importance of preserving wild habitats
and endangered species.
Contact Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org about
supporting conservation programs at the zoo. Learn other ways you
can help conserve wildlife and habitats by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and Suggested Reading
Kingdon, Jonathon. 1982. East African Mammals, Vol. IIIC.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL. 393 p.
Walther, Fritz R. 1984. Communication and
Expression in Hooved Mammals. Indiana University Press, Bloomington,
IN. 423 p.
For Kids!
Greenaway, Theresa. 1994. Eyewitness: Jungle. Knopf
Publications, New York NY. 64 p. Recommended for ages 9-12.
* Taxonomic classification varies between
references. Classification information used in this fact sheet was
taken from Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic And Geographic
Reference, edited by Don E. Wilson and Dee Ann M. Reeder, Second
Edition, 1993. |
Classification
and Range
